We knew Renault was rather keen on retro homages lately, but we didn’t think they would delve this far into the history books for their next wild creation. Meet the Renault Filante Record 2025, an early 20th-century land speed record car reborn in carbon and powered by an 87 kWh battery.
The Filante Record 2025 draws from two main record-breaking influences: the 40 CV des Records and the Étoile Filante, built in 1925 and 1956 respectively. The former set records for distance and speed in 1925 for the 3-hour category, 500 km category, and 500 mile category, while the following year it would return to set the 24-hour world record, covering 4,167.578 km at an average speed of 173.659 km/h. On the other hand, the Étoile Filante was built in 1956 and broke the 1 and 5 kilometre distance records with speeds of 306.9 km/h and 308.85 km/h respectively at Bonneville.
Back to the Filante Record 2025. Utilising the same capacity battery as the rather less exciting Scenic E-Tech electric, the Filante Record 2025 is described as a laboratory on wheels for testing new technologies, materials, and innovations. At 5.12 metres long and 1.19 metres tall, it’s visually imposing, to say the least, yet thanks to extensive use of carbon fibre and endless hours of computer-aided material optimisation, it weighs in at under 1,000 kg. Aside from the ever-familiar carbon fibre, the Filante Record 2025 makes extensive use of Scalmalloy a high-strength aluminium alloy specifically developed for 3D printing.
While the influences of historic land speed record cars are plain to see, Renault also took inspiration from fighter jets, with the cockpit’s blue-tinted aerodynamic bubble and the body’s exposed screws creating direct links to the world of aviation. Step inside and you’ll notice the Filante Record 2025’s 3D-printed Scalmalloy steering wheel, which houses a cylindrical display and the controls for braking and acceleration, all of which are controlled by wire. The Filante Record 2025 will be on display at Rétromobile next week, so make sure to check out this wild concept!
